Post on 26-Dec-2015
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From Graduate Student To ‘Lightly-Seasoned’ Professional:
What I’ve Learned So Far
Brian Buford Ph.D.Principal Consultant – Organizational Effectiveness
Target Corporation
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My Career Path
B.S., Psychology - Kansas State (92-96)
Ph.D., Counseling Psychology - University of Iowa (96-00)
Clinical Internship – Salem VAMC Consortium, Virginia (00 – 01)
Post-Doctoral student - DRI Consulting, St. Paul (01-02)
Organizational Effectiveness – Target Corporation (02 to present)
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Years of experienceStill in school
0 < x < 2
2 < x < 5
5 < x < 10
10+
IndustryInside a company
Consulting firm
Higher ed
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Target$63 billion revenue, Fortune 31 Company with 352,000 employees
1,638 Target Stores in 47 states, 26 distribution centers, 4 import warehouses
Charitable company giving 5% of income, $3 million a week, to the communities we serve
Target chosen as one of Hispanic Magazine's Top 100 Companies for Hispanics 2007
Target 22nd "World's Most Innovative Companies List" – Barron’s Magazine 2006
Named “Top 100 Employer of Women” – Fortune 2006
One of the 2008 World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute
No. 14 out of 119 companies on annual “Best Places to Launch a Career” survey
Check out Target.com for career information
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Bob UlrichCEO of the Year (2007)
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What I do @ Target
Global, cross-functional high-potential leadership development programs
Executive coaching, integration
Teambuilding and facilitation
Train workshops
Speaking at meetings
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1) Be a good team player
Listen more, talk less
Don’t fall in love with your ideas and theories
Follow through
Care about other people
The more diverse the team, usually
The longer it takes to get things done
Potential for more conflict
The better the results
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2) Time and attention is precious commodity for senior leaders
Don’t waste either
Clearly and concisely describe problems, causes, solutions
Start big, get into details when asked or needed
Verbose PowerPoint = death
Master the “1-pager”
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3) Develop general business acumen
Develop a broader perspective
Ask clients to teach about their business
Listen to earnings, investor calls
Use business terms
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4) “To know is not to do”We don’t always practice what we preach
Espoused theory vs. reality-as-it-is
“It doesn’t matter how many ideas you have, but how many you make happen.”
Application, execution, and results are the gold
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5) Great vendors can be invaluable partners
In sales calls
Articulate in real-world terms why you are better than your competitors, and why it matters
Start with a discussion of the client’s need first
Ask how the organization has tried to solve the problems in the past
Wait for the up-sell
During engagements
Care about long-term sustainability
Deliver what you say you are going to
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6) It’s easy to be a good executive coach, hard to be great
Providing clarity, accountability and forcing people to think
Spend more time early on to gather critical feedback, shape and align expectations
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7) ROI = Holy Grail?
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8) If you get a chance to be a leader, do it…cause it ain’t easy
Relentless demands, decisions to make
Nearly impossible to just “soar with your strengths”
Success is contextual, always changing
Empathize with your boss
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9) I’ll never “arrive” or get tenure
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Can always get better results faster
When it comes to mistakes, master the art of
Accepting them and recovering quickly
Never making the same one twice
“What will I do to be more effective next time?”
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My very complex learning tool
What was the event? What happened?
What was the lesson?
What will I do differently next
time?
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10) As organizational psychologists, we have a lot of work to do!
There are many challenges on the horizon
We can add significant value by really helping organizations
Engage and retain in the talent war
Develop young leaders more quickly to prepare them for bigger, more complex jobs
Handle a diverse, global workforce
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Questions?
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Thank you!
Brian.Buford@Target.com
612 – 761 - 0456